Summer Evening Stroll
by Gare-Devil99
Summary: One evening after his big birthday bash, SpongeBob and his best friend Sandy head out on a summer evening stroll throughout Bikini Bottom. Set after SpongeBob's Big Birthday Blowout. *Happy 20th anniversary, SpongeBob!*


**AN:** Hey there, goofy goobers! Apologies for the lack of stories lately. Yeah...inspiration just hasn't been the best as of late. Anyway, here's a small late birthday fic I've written for both the series and our favorite little goofy goober.

**Disclaimer:** No, I don't own SB. The only things I do own are my fan art, fics, and some pretty cool merchandise.

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One long walk downtown Bikini Bottom later...

"Thanks for the amazing surprise party you've all thrown me afterwards at the Krusty Krab, Sandy. Last night was such a blast! You're the best party planner ever!" SpongeBob exclaimed while he and his best friend Sandy were out enjoying the mild fresh air on a nice summer evening stroll throughout the silent streets of Bikini Bottom.

The once ocean blue sky above them was now painted in beautiful bright shades of orange and yellow as the underwater sun was slowly setting beyond the horizon. There wasn't a single pedestrian in sight. In fact, many residents were already beginning to settle down after another long day of hard work or fun in the sun.

Even Gary and Spot were already out on their nocturnal adventure like they would every night now when their owners were fast asleep in bed, diving into trash cans in search of leftover food, playing leapfrog, and wrestling with each other outside the Chum Bucket's front entrance. Only Sandy, the animal control officer, and Patrick were all well aware of their whereabouts.

Since it was pretty late once SpongeBob came home from his bizarre birthday adventure on land with Patrick and Rube, Sandy and the others decided to throw him a much better party at the Krusty Krab later that same night.

Although everyone was pretty worn out from earlier on in the day, they didn't let their exhaustion cancel the big celebration and many festivities planned at Bikini Bottom's finest eating establishment.

He'd especially enjoyed the scrumptious Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy themed ice cream cake, watching Gary playfully bounce a balloon around the restaurant and blowing into his cute little party horn, and hearing everybody in the room finally sing happy birthday definitely made his little spongy heart burst with so much joy.

Seeing him with this much happiness actually made Sandy feel all warm and fuzzy inside. After all, he truly earned it. SpongeBob was always there to help somebody in need whether they wanted it or not. When she was homesick or just having a bad day, he was there to help chase away the pain with his goofy nature and good company.

If Gary was sick, he would sit by his bedside all night long until Gary fell asleep in his arms. Whenever Patrick was upset from a terrible nightmare, he was there with open arms and kind gentle words. The point is he was a loyal friend no matter the problem. And Sandy knew she had to do something extra special to thank him.

Sandy blushed a little at his kind words. "Aww, shucks. We just wanted to give the birthday boy here the greatest day ever. Yee-haw! Mission accomplished. Sorry about your house being destroyed, SpongeBob." She gave him a sheepish smile, no longer making eye contact.

"I didn't think we would actually bring the whole place down. Guess we got too carried away with the dancing. Those no good nitwits ruined the whole darn party!''

SpongeBob chuckled while he rode carefully on Sandy's back as she trudged up the pathway to his beloved pineapple home. Luckily, it had been successfully repaired long after the big birthday bash thanks to Sandy and the other party guests who wreaked it in the first place with their foolish horseplay.

_Sounds like she won't be inviting them again next year. Oh, Sandy. What am I gonna do with ya?_

"Aw, it's fine, Sandy. Wouldn't be the first time my house was destroyed. You should see Mr. K's bill from the countless times I've accidentally destroyed the Krusty Krab on a daily basis. But hey, at least we were able to fix it. Still, this was the best birthday I've ever had. I even met my biggest fan! Patchy was so kind and sweet. Wonder if I'll see him again around here someday. Wait, how could he breathe underwater if he didn't have a helmet?''

_What in tarnation? How the heck could the sweet little sea critter be so gosh darn optimistic over this? I'd be furious if a bunch of idiots trashed my house, and maybe ate all my acorns if they were hungry enough! Since when is SpongeBob so laid-back with anything? _Sandy thought quietly to herself.

_The guy completely freaks out and immediately starts to _hyperventilate_ over a sudden shortage of Krabby Patties kept hidden inside the Krusty Krab's freezer! Uh, oblivious much?_

"Anyway, that was quite the sightseeing tour you had Pat take me on there yesterday. I thought Bikini Bottom was awfully strange. Like, how can there be fire if we live underwater?'' SpongeBob replied, scratching his head with a puzzled expression.

"I'll say. I'm still trying to figure that question out myself. I mean, I may be the smartest resident down here in Bikini Bottom, but not even I have all the answers." The land squirrel explained, stopping in front of the sponge's house once she reached their final destination.

"Also, we couldn't allow you to stay in Bikini Bottom cuz we didn't wanna risk ruining the surprise."

She then carefully looked both ways before whispering something in his ear. "And just between us, I needed to get rid of him so he wouldn't eat your birthday cake like he did with mine at my birthday party. Don't get me wrong, Pat's a good friend and all, but sometimes he can be a real pain in my tail."

The sponge laughed at the thought, raising his sunglasses above his eyes. "Makes sense. Patrick sure does have a sweet tooth when it comes to anything sweet. Good thing I made you a backup cake just in case, huh? Well, I deeply appreciate everything you've all done to make this the best birthday ever. And also letting me ride on your back. Thanks again, Sandy."

Sandy smiled softly, hugging her spongy friend close once he finally jumped off her back. "You're welcome, little buddy. I'm so glad y'all enjoyed it in the end. I don't know about you, but I'm totally exhausted. Heck, I was up all night long explaining the stinking plan over and over to Patrick. Golly, sometimes I swear he's dumber than a pile of bricks sunk deep in wet cement!"

SpongeBob leaned up against the door, pulled out his keys, and spun them around on his finger with a sly grin. He tilted his sunglasses, revealing those beautiful bright blue orbs that had secretly made her heart melt whenever she saw them.

"Oh yeah, Pat can be pretty forgetful. Seriously, I don't know how many times I've tried to teach him how hide and seek works. Yeah, doesn't surprise me one bit..." His voice trailed off as he looked back at the giant tropical fruit behind them.

He awkwardly pointed a thumb toward the front door. "W-well, better go see what old Gary's been up to while I was away. Probably been watching his late night western movie marathons, or maybe writing some beautiful poetry about another snail he loves. He's so poetic, ya know? Who knew my little Gare Bear has such talent? He even gave me a super cool jellyfish net made with slime as a birthday present. Holy shrimp! Is there anything that little rascal can't do?!"

He quickly slapped his hands over his mouth once the words slipped out, and when he saw Sandy staring at him with an eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Heh, excuse the language. Don't tell Mr. Krabs this, but Pat and I accidentally said bad word number eleven again when we were on the tour bus. Guess our excitement got the best of us. Um, my bad. Uh, can you believe I live here? I mean, who lives in a pineapple under the sea?" He joked, trying to change the subject.

"You know, besides yours truly?''

Sandy chuckled a little at the sponge's sudden outburst. ''Besides you? Heck, probably nobody I've heard of.'' She teased, punching the sponge playfully in the shoulder.

"No worries, your secrets safe with me. I ain't gonna be no tattletale. Well, I'll see ya tomorrow. Gotta go get some much needed rest. Happy birthday, Spongy.'' Sandy replied sweetly, kissing him gently on his cheek once she quickly removed her helmet.

''I know your birthday was yesterday, but since you were gone all day, and with all the excitement going on last night during the party...well, I..."

Her sentence was soon cut short when she suddenly felt something squeeze her tightly. She looked down to see SpongeBob hugging her with a warm smile on his face.

"...didn't really get a chance to say it then."

''Thank you, Sandra. You guys are the greatest companions, and Bikini Bottom family I ever had.''

Sandy hugged him back towards her chest. ''My pleasure, Robert. That's what friends are for.''

Once they broke away from their sweet embrace a few minutes later, SpongeBob finally inserted his house key into the lock. He pushed the door ajar, and then watched her slowly disappear down the road into the gorgeous underwater sunset.

_Way to sweep it under the rug, SpongeBob. When will you tell her? When will you finally get out of the friend zone?_

He rubbed his cheek with a dreamy sigh, his back pressed against the door frame. "So pretty and smart, you're the key to my beating heart. If only you knew just how much I feel about you.''

Unknown to him, Patrick popped out of a nearby trash can in his front yard when he saw the whole thing unfold before his very eyes through his binoculars. He was rather flabbergasted by the sight, dropping the leftover Krabby Patty he was about to devour.

"No way. Who knew my old buddy SpongeBob was secretly into poetry?"

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**AN: **I know SpongeBob isn't really the romantic or poetic type, but I thought it'd be cute to have him say a small poem about Sandy anyway. Hope you all enjoyed my little story, goofy goobers.

Happy 33rd birthday and 20th anniversary, SpongeBob SquarePants! Here's to many more years of nautical nonsense. *gives SpongeBob a great big hug* SpongeBob forever! :)


End file.
